Overview
“Life Insurance is a contract between a policyholder and an insurer that provides financial coverage to the
insured and his/her family. In life insurance the insurance company guarantees to pay a sum of money in return
for a regular premium after a fixed period of time or upon the unfortunate death of the life insured person.”
A life insurance policy is a scheme that offers guaranteed financial protection for a specific term against the
death of the policy holder. The financial protection offered as the sum assured on death of the life assured is
payable to the assigned beneficiary of the life insurance policy. The insurer pays out the promised benefit
amount either on the death of the life assured (as mentioned earlier) or at the end of the policy term on the
date of maturity.
What is a Life Insurance Premium?
A life insurance premium is a payment that is to be paid to enjoy the life insurance benefits. The premium is
paid annually; however, the mode of premium payment can be selected from monthly or half-yearly also. This
premium also helps to grow the cash value of the insurance.
The insurance company determines the premium payable by the policyholder to the insurance company. Having said
that, the buyer gets to select the term of the policy
Benefit of Insurance To Insured
- Insurance provides security against risk and uncertainty.
- It enables the insured to concentrate on his work without fear of loss due to risk and uncertainty.
- It inculcates regular savings habit, as in the case of life insurance.
- The insurance policy can be mortgaged and funds raised in case of financial requirements.
- Insurance policies, especially pension plans provide for income security during old age.
- The insured gets tax benefits for the amount of premium paid.
- Insurance of goods may be a mandatory requirement in certain contracts.
Term insurance is the most basic form of life coverage. It isaffordable life insurance that one can buy
easily, without anyhassles.Simply put, a term insurance plan offers death cover for astipulated time
period. God forbid, in the event of the suddendemise of the insured during the policy tenure, the
insuranceprovider offers a pre-decided death benefit as a lump sum, as amonthly/ annual pay-out, or as
combined benefits to the nominee.The best term plan offers comprehensive coverage at a competitive
premium.
A unit-linked insurance plan or ULIP is a type of life coverage plan that offers a perfect blend
ofinsurance & investment. It comes with a long-term investment opportunity along with valuableinvestment
flexibility.The premium paid towards a ULIP is partly used as a risk-cover for life coverage plan and
theremainder is invested in market funds such as debts, equities, bonds, market funds, hybrid fundsetc.
The selection of the market funds depends purely on the risk appetite of the insurancebuyer. Based on
that, the insurer invests the amount in the capital market as per the insured'spreference.
Endowment plans are also known as traditional life insurance plans. These plans come with an element of
saving. As compared to the risk factor of other investment products, the risk involve dis lower (so are
the returns).An endowment policy is a combination of a life coverage plan and savings plan. It invests a
particular amount in life coverage and the remaining amount is invested by the provider. In case the
policyholder outlives the policy term; the insurance provider offers a maturity benefit to him/her.
Furthermore, some insurance endowment policies may offer bonuses on pre-specified periods. If applicable,
the bonuses are paid either to the policyholder at the time of policy maturity or to the nominee in case
of a death claim.
A whole life insurance plan offers life coverage as long as the insured lives. There are a few providers
that offer life coverage up to 100 years of age. Contrary to the coverage offered by term plans, this plan
offers extensive coverage.The sum assured is computed when the life coverage plan is purchased and is
payable to the nominee after the demise of the insured. Along with the sum assured, bonuses (if any) are
also paid to the nominee. It is one of the best policies that offer coverage up to whole life at low
premiums.
A variant of whole life is available in the market that clubs the benefits of life insurance plans with
ULIPs. A whole life ULIP offers extensive coverage along with high returns. Please Note- In case the
policyholder outlives the 100 years of age, the insurer pays the benefit of matured endowment coverage to
the policyholder.
A child plan acts as a tool to generate funds for the policyholder’s child. A child plan helps one build a
corpus for their child that can be used for the child’s education and wedding. Generally, child plans
either provide benefits as instalments on an annual basis or a 1-time payout once the insured child is 18
years of age. In an unfortunate event of the untimely demise of the policyholder during the policy term,
immediate premium payment is payable
A retirement plan, also known as an annuity or pension plan, helps the insured accumulate a corpus for
their retirement. Typically, retirement plans provide benefits in the form of installment on an annual
basis or a 1-time pay-out once insured is 60 years of age. In case the insured outlives the policy term,
the plan offers vesting benefit. In case of the insured's demise, it offers the death benefit to the
policy nominee. Note- In case of the insured's demise while the policy is active, the life insurer pays
a pre-decided amount to insured's nominee.
If you plan to purchase a life insurance plan, you may have heard of several types of policies such as
permanent life insurance and term life insurance. While both the policies offer benefit to the family in
case of the unfortunate demise of the policyholder, these plans vary in different ways:
Term insurance plans offer protection for a fixed tenure, whereas permanent insurance has flexible terms,
it generally covers until the life assured reaches 100 years of age.
The premium amount paid for a permanent life insurance policy is invested in other investment tools. If
the insurance company makes a profit, then a share of it is paid to the life assured as a bonus or
investment return. In a term plan, the life assured does not get any returns.